Saturday, March 11, 2017

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston ARC Review

Lost to history, the story of the female gladiator has never been told. Until now.

Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king and the younger sister of the legendary warrior Sorcha. When Fallon was just a child, Sorcha was killed while defending their home from the armies of Julius Caesar.

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her place in her father's war band. She never gets the chance.
Fallon is captured by ruthless brigands who sell her to an elite training school for female gladiators owned by none other than Julius Caesar himself. In a cruel twist of fate, the man who destroyed Fallon s family might be her only hope of survival.

Now, Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries, deadly fights in and out of the arena, and perhaps the most dangerous threat of all: her irresistible feelings for Cai, a young Roman soldier and her sworn enemy.

The Valiant is a breath of fresh air amongst all of the male-heavy stories out there today. I didn't even know that there were real female gladiators until I read this book. What does that say about our society? Nothing good, though I'm not surprised. That being said, this is a book about Fallon, who is sold into slavery, goes through a ton of turmoil, and becomes a gladiator. It's an emotional tale that is focused on all of the female characters and how this turbulent world affects them. Though Fallon is an amazing lead, she's also surrounded by many other awesome women, and I enjoyed all of their plot-lines!

Similarly to other great feminist authors like Mindy McGinnis and Leigh Bardugo who have paved the way for books focusing on female relationships and narratives, I am truly amazed by Lesley Livingston's writing and story telling abilities. In The Valiant, we follow Fallon and her fellow gladiatrices' on their journey into glory, pain, and even love. I adored every second of this marvelous novel, and I'm elated and ardently awaiting to see what Lesley has in store for us in the sequel!

1) I absolutely adore Fallon. She is fierce, she's a badass, and she's just one hell of a woman overall. Fallon is definitely a character to look up to, and she is incredibly dear to my heart. I love her story, her fight, her everything. She's definitely one of the top most inspiring feminist characters of the year and I need more of her amazing story, pronto.

Oh, I definitely am.

2) In general, this book revolves around and is focused on the female characters specifically, and it's spectacular. Not only do they all come from a variety of backgrounds, but they are all so different—in voice and in personality—yet they all stand on their own. The Valiant is all about how the women are changed and affected throughout this story, and you get to watch them grow—it's phenomenal. It also touches on how a strong woman doesn't necessarily mean she's a fighter, but she could be strong emotionally, or in other ways. It's feminist and brilliant, and I wish more books depicted this.

And while you guys know that I love a good swoony book, I'm glad that this book focused more on the action and the girl-power aspects. Don't get me wrong, there are romantic parts which are also great, but it's not the focus of the book. It's more about the women and their relationships with each other—whether they're friends, enemies, or allies. The Valiant reminds me a lot of The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis in these aspects, and I was in awe of that book.

3) The world-building was fantastically well-structured. It made me feel like I was standing next to Fallon throughout everything she was experiencing. I could smell the blood, taste the fear, and the intense rush of adrenaline was coursing through me as if I was with her through every trial, heartbreak, and tragedy.

4) The Valiant find the perfect balance of training and battle. Normally in books, I'm really bored while having to read through all the training, while in others, I don't feel as if the characters could have possibly trained enough to be as kickass as they end up. In The Valiant, you see enough of the training for it to feel realistic, but not to the point where it slows down the story.

50 comments:

Okay, I REALLY need to pick this one up. I've heard nothing but great things about it. I love books with strong female leads. I'm so tired of seeing the female MCs that need saved all the time. Great review!

I'm so excited for the sequel of this book! I really hope there are more battle scenes and more of the female friendships in it! If there had been more of those in this one, I think I would have given it a solid 5 stars as well! Great review!

This sounds fabulous, and I love the idea of seeing the gladiatrices in action. The world building sounds spot on and the fact that not all the women have to be fighters but can still be strong- I've been really curious about this one but now I REALLY want to read it!

Ah, I am SO glad to see yet another positive review! I am so excited to get my hands on this, it sounds wonderful! I'm particularly glad to hear such great things about the world-building - that is crucial to me in a book like this. Bring on the female gladiators! Great review. :)

YESSS! I am so excited to read this one! And being compared to Mindy McGinnis and Leigh Bardugo is some fine, fine company. I also didn't know there were female gladiators which is sad. ALSO didn't know this was a series, so now I am extra excited. I need a new series to love. Especially one with a ton of badass females! Great review, I cannot wait to start this!

After reading you review, I realized that I need this book in my life. Like, now! How do I always miss the release of so many amazing books?! Thank you for letting me know about it. *running to Goodreads to add it to my wishlist*

I also didn't know there were female gladiators and I've to agree with you that that is really sad. And, no offence, but I think we have to blame the society we live for this lack of knowledge. I can't recall a single time a female gladiator was portrayed in TV shows, films or even history documentaries.

I've been hearing so much of this book but haven't exactly read a review until now. You just sold me! I don't know why I was feeling eh about it. Now I need to get my hands on it! I need more badass characters. Fantastic review!Genesis @ Latte Nights Reviews

Amazing review Brittany! I'm so glad you loved this book. :D I love the female empowerment in this book; there needs to be more books like this one! I didn't absolutely love the book, but I loved what it stood for. :)

You have officially made me want to read this 100 times more! ALL FEMALE BOOKS ARE THE BEST! I didn't know there were actual female gladiators either and I CANNOT WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON IT!Such a great review, Brittany, and I've officially moved it to the top of my WL!

I am super glad you loved this one! I bought it about a week back but have been swamped with work and stuff and haven't gotten to read it yet. Aside from that cover and kick-ass synopsis, this sounds like such an awesome girl-power filled story. Great review!

Great review, Brittany! I'm glad that you enjoyed this so much, because it's been getting so much buzz and I'm never sure if hyped books will be worth the commitment. :P This sounds wonderful though - yay feminism! :)

Agree with you so much on this book. Fallon was absolutely fierce and a fitting main character who had such a great character arc. And I surprisingly really liked the romance as well. I absolutely CANNOT wait for the sequel!! :D

I need to read this one ASAP. I've been hearing GREAT things about it. Great review, Brittany! I love finding new books that are so focused on female characters (although I also love me a good romance) so it sounds like this is a winner (and I also need to read Female of the Species, apparently!).

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